Neuromuscular System Flashcards
What is decreased in the CNS with aging?
Size of Cerebellar hemispheres, cerebral blood flow, and glucose metabolism
What does neuron loss result in?
Decreased gray matter
What does myelin loss result in?
Decreased white matter (decreased brain weight)
What happens to nerve cells as you age in the CNS?
They shrink
What is delayed as you age in the CNS?
Impulse conduction and conduction velocity
What happens to neurotransmitters as you age in the CNS?
They are reduced and altered balance
What are the vestibular changes as you age in the CNS?
Decreased hair cells and receptor ganglion cells
What are the common pathologies of the CNS as you age?
CVA, TBI, Parkinson’s, and dementia
What is decreased in the PNS as you age?
Ability to adapt to environmental or visceral changes, neurons per muscle fiber, ruffinis/pacinian/GTO receptors, and cerebral blood flow
What increases in the PNS as you age?
Sympathetic activity
What slows in the PNS as you age?
Conduction velocity
What happens to internodal length as you age?
It gets greater
Is there axonal degeneration as you age in the PNS?
Yes
What functional implications are increased as you age in the PNS?
Recruitment of motor units (more work required to do a task), co contraction at the ankle, risk of falls
What is altered in the PNS as you age?
Motor control and postural stability
What happens to resting blood pressure as you age?
It rises
What do you have a delayed response to as you age?
Pain
What decreases in the visual field as you age?
Elasticity of the lens, recovery from glare, tear production, acuity, and visual fields
What is presbycusis?
Hearing loss with age (men lose higher frequency hearing)
What is hyposmia?
Decreased smell
What is anosmia?
Loss of smell
What are the implications with loss of smell in the aging adult?
Impairs ability to taste food and thirst sensation declines
